Renewed armed clashes erupted along the disputed Thailand-Cambodia border early Monday morning, leaving one Thai soldier dead and several others wounded in the latest flare-up of a decades-old territorial conflict. The incident occurred in Thailand’s Ubon Ratchathani province, close to contested areas near the ancient Preah Vihear temple complex that has repeatedly triggered violence between the two neighbouring nations.

According to Thai military authorities, Cambodian troops initiated the exchange by opening fire on a Thai patrol unit using heavy weapons. Army spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvaree confirmed that the unprovoked assault resulted in one soldier being killed and at least four others sustaining injuries of varying severity, prompting Thai forces to return fire in self-defence.

The Cambodian defence ministry presented a sharply contrasting account, asserting that Thai troops were the aggressors who launched a coordinated attack on Cambodian positions in Preah Vihear and Oddar Meanchey provinces. Ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata insisted that Cambodian soldiers exercised restraint and did not retaliate despite the alleged provocation.

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Both governments have exchanged accusations of violating bilateral agreements and ceasefire understandings reached in previous years, raising fears of a broader escalation along the 800-kilometre frontier. Military reinforcements have reportedly been dispatched to the area by both sides as diplomatic channels scramble to contain the situation.

The incident marks the most serious outbreak of hostilities since major clashes in 2011 that claimed dozens of lives and displaced thousands of civilians. With mutual distrust running high and nationalist sentiments easily inflamed, analysts warn that the latest bloodshed could further strain already fragile relations between Bangkok and Phnom Penh.

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